


Mistaken

by DemonzDust



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Fluff and Angst, Good Theo Raeken, M/M, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Rating May Change, Road Trips, Sceo Week, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 19:29:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19893109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonzDust/pseuds/DemonzDust
Summary: It felt like an age since Theo’d had a good night’s sleep, so when Scott suggested they pull off and rest for a few hours at a Motel, he’d readily agreed. Sharing a room made sense, both for safety and for monetary reasons, but clearly the front desk had made some...uh,assumptionsabout the nature of his and Scott’s relationship when they’d checked in.





	Mistaken

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by an RP I did a while back with the lovely [**notxallmonsters**](https://notxallmonsters.tumblr.com/), who happily gave me permission to write it into a fic for Sceo Week. They’re a freaking amazing RP partner and writer and I love their Scott to death. The first chapter follows the story beats and dialogue of the RP pretty precisely (so I really can’t claim all of it as my own — much of it is the brilliance of notxallmonsters). The plot of the subsequent chapter(s) will be my imagining of where I saw the story going from where we left off. This is actually for three of the Sceo Week themes: Mistaken for a Couple, On the Road, and Bed Sharing. Enjoy!

“I…think there’s been a mistake.”

Theo’s brows knit together in confusion as he followed Scott into the dusty motel room to see what he was talking about.

They’d had been on the road since before sunrise. Headed off Monroe’s attack on an Arizona desert’s pack in the afternoon, and spent another ten hours watching the blazing desert sun recede in the sky. Leaving them on a dark and empty highway for miles. 

It felt like an age since Theo’d had a good night’s sleep, so when Scott suggested they pull off and rest for a few hours at a Motel, he’d readily agreed. Sharing a room made sense, both for safety and for monetary reasons, but clearly the front desk had made some —uh  _ assumptions  _ — about the nature of his and Scott’s relationship when they’d checked in.

His bones were stiff and his muscles ached both from fighting and from atrophy while driving. He was so exhausted it took him a few seconds to even realize what Scott was even talking about.

There was only one bed in the small room, and it was barely large enough to be called Queen-sized.

Theo had wondered why the desk attendant had given them a room so far down the motel strip. There weren’t many cars in the lot and there must have been plenty of vacancies. But now it made sense. All the empty rooms they’d passed must have been doubles.

What on earth had given her the impression that they were...together?

He stole a quick glance at Scott, who had an equally tired and befuddled expression on his face.

“I’ll...call the desk, I guess.” Theo sighed heavily, dropping his duffle bag down onto the carpeted floor.

He wasn’t looking forward to the long trudge back to the main office, much less having to then move his bags a second time. But he wanted to stay in the room and wait for Scott to do it even less. He didn’t care to explore why, but seeing the setup had put a quick flutter of something in his chest that had almost instantly tipped into a hard crash in both his mood and already waning energy.

“You don’t have to,” Scott shook his head, “I’ll just sleep in the chair.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Theo said, sluggishly unzipping his jacket and hanging it over the back of a chair. “You could have slept in the car if you were going to do that. You need a good night’s sleep just as bad as I do. I’ll call—”

He reached for the phone, but Scott caught his wrist.

“No, it’s fine.” Scott said wearily.

Theo was exhausted...so why was his heart suddenly pounding in his chest like he’d just slammed back a Monster energy drink?

“I don’t have the energy to move all our stuff or possibly argue with the people at the desk.” Scott explained. “We can just put few pillows between us and sleep like that. We’re both about to pass out anyway, and it’s not like we’re staying more than one night.”

Scott was so tired he probably didn’t realize he was still holding onto him, but Theo was in no rush to pull his fatigued wrist out of Scott’s grip.

“Yeah, sure.” Theo consented, doing his best to ignore the strange feeling that was turning over in his chest. “I’m fine with it if you don’t mind.”

“Like I said, I’m gonna pass out the second my head hits the pillow.” Scott reiterated, letting his hand slip off Theo as he lethargically moved to check the locks on the door — they could never be too careful these days. “Pretty sure you will too.”

“Yeah.” Theo nodded, tearing his eyes away from the sight of Scott pulling his jacket off his shoulders.

He busied himself with rummaging through his duffle bag for the ziplock that held his toothbrush and shampoo. Confused by the light feeling in his chest while the rest of his body felt so heavy.

“Gonna hit the shower.” he muttered, slipping away without meeting Scott’s eyes.

The hot water felt like heaven on his aching muscles, but only for a moment before it turned to ice cold needles pricking his skin. He swore and quickly rinsed the shampoo from his hair and cheap motel soap from his body. 

* * *

Scott moved slowly as he discarded his dusty clothing into a pile on a chair near the bed. He could barely keep himself upright as he kicked off his shoes and pulled on an old shirt and pair of pajama pants — the last clean articles of clothing he had left in his bag. 

They would have to find time to stop a laundromat at some point tomorrow.

“Don’t plan on relaxing in there,” Theo muttered, his voice muffled by the toothbrush in his mouth as he emerged from the bathroom in a faded grey shirt and black sweatpants. “The water sucks...and I think I used the last of it.”

“It’s fine.” Scott assured him, groaning as he reclined back onto the pillows. They may be cheap, but they’re a hell of a lot more comfortable than the car seats he’d been sleeping in all week. “I’ll brave it in the morning.”

Theo nodded and ducked back into the bathroom.

Scott closed his eyes for a moment, soaking in the softness of the bed and the domestic sound of Theo brushing his teeth. Then moved one of the pillows to the center of the bed, dividing it into two — hopefully even — halves.

When Theo came back he glanced at the pillow with a curious expression on his face before sitting on the corner of the bed and towel-drying his dripping wet hair. Scott watched him rub the cresting goosebumps out of his neck with his palms as he did it.

The water must have been truly frigid.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Theo asked, removing the last droplets of water and setting the town down on the night stand near the bed. “We going to meet up with Stiles and Malia in Virginia or heading straight up north just you and me?”

Theo’s tone was mostly nonchalant, but Scott wasn’t blind to the hopeful upturn in it when he hit  _ just you and me  _ part of the sentence. Nor did he miss the slightly anxious way Theo was eyeing him. 

He couldn’t blame Theo for having a vested interest in wanting to go without the detour to Quantico. Stiles had gotten over his initial reservations about Theo helping the pack out, but he wouldn’t be joining the Theo Raeken Fan Club any time soon. And neither would Malia. 

An excursion through the Appalachians would add a few days onto the journey, and they were certain to be filled with grating sarcastic remarks aimed in Theo’s direction.

Frankly, Scott was beginning to find the jabs irritating as well. 

Theo’s assistance to the pack over the past several months had been nothing short of invaluable. But more than that, Theo’d been different ever since he came back from...wherever it was the Skin Walkers had him. 

Scott had watched him correct some of the deepest flaws in his character. Face off with demons that most people would shy away from. Theo’d never apologized — with words — for any of the things he’d done. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t sorry or that he hadn’t changed. Words were meaningless if there were no actions behind them.

Theo had chosen to try to right himself with his actions. Which was worth more than any bullshit apology.

“I think we’ll head north on our own.” Scott replied. “We can see if the rumors about the Black Hills pack are true and then call them if it seems like we need backup.” 

* * *

Theo nodded, and tried not to let his happiness at Scott’s answer show too much on his face. It’s a relief not to have a two day drive with Stiles and Malia in his near future, but it was more than just that.

He was getting more and more comfortable with being pack adjacent. Every time Theo followed through on a task for Scott he swore he felt himself move closer and closer to something he didn’t even know that he wanted. Scott’s approval was warm and fortifying, and the more Theo received it, the more he craved it.

These past few days with just Scott, though brutal and draining, have been some of the best he’d ever had, and he was relieved that Scott wasn’t in a rush for it to end.

Theo crawled beneath the blankets and laid his chin down on one of the soft pillows between himself and Scott, probably a little closer to the alpha than was necessary. 

Another confusing flutter moved through his chest when Scott rolled onto his side to face him.

“That sounds good to me.” he whispered, looking into Scott’s dark eyes. 

It’s not what he really wanted to say. He wanted to thank him. For giving him another chance. For not constantly making jabs at him. For believing in him when he really shouldn’t have. But he couldn’t say that.

It wasn’t the first time Theo’d felt that way.

There were many things that he wanted to confide in Scott. Things he’d done with the Dread Doctors. Things the Dread Doctors had done to him. His moments of confusion. His moments of doubt. He knew that if he shared them, Scott wouldn’t judge him. 

There would be no sarcastic remarks or bitter attacks. As horrifying as the things he wanted to talk about were, he couldn’t help but feel that Scott would still look at him with compassion. That, if he could express what he struggled with to Scott, he might be offered guidance.

Being good, being honest, holding fast to his identity in a world that would do everything to twist him — those were things that came naturally to Scott. Scott may doubt his decisions, he may doubt his ability to keep everyone safe, he may silently still carry the fear that he’ll one day cave the baser urges of the wolf inside him — but Scott  _ always _ knew who he was.

He’d never succumbed to the darkness that haunted all creatures like them. And Theo doubted that he ever would.

Yet he still couldn’t bring himself to talk to Scott about any of it. At least not explicitly.

Years of conditioning with the Dread Doctors, and the disassociation from his feelings that it brought on, wasn’t something that Theo could easily break through. The mental defenses that had once shielded him as a child now imprisoned him. 

But being near Scott when he’s confused, watching him, modeling, gave him the vigor and direction that he needed. The more time he spent with the pack, the more he felt his icy prison walls breaking down.

He found himself becoming more hopeful that one day he wouldn’t be shackled by the invisible chains he’d forged with the Doctors. That one day he might be able to say things like ‘ _ I’m scared _ ’ or ‘ _ I’m hurt _ ’ or ‘ _ I’m sorry _ ’ or ‘ _ thank you — I need this time alone with you _ ’ without cloaking them in lies or deflections.

But not yet. 

For now, he had to hope that Scott understood his gratitude without him saying it out loud.

* * *

Scott bit his lip as he watched several emotions flicker behind Theo’s glassy blue-grey irises. It’s crazy how much his eyes have changed. The dullness in them seems to have receded, leaving a new expressiveness in its wake. Scott wasn’t sure if it actually made the chimera look younger or if it just felt that way because it was so much more like the Theo that he knew in fourth grade.

His heart aches slightly at the thought, but in a good way.

It almost made him feel like he was back home.

Theo had slept over at his house a few times when they were younger. Scott could remember how they’d roll sleeping bags out on the living room floor, watching movies far past the time that his mother usually let him stay up. His dog, Roxy, trying to lick the popcorn butter from Theo’s fingers.

Roxy had always really liked Theo.

Damn he missed home. 

“Maybe we can get up early and actually sit down for a real breakfast tomorrow.” he suggested, suddenly agonizingly aware of how it had pretty much been breakfast sandwiches from drive throughs and or coffee and muffins at rest stops since they’d left Derek in Santa Cruz well over a week ago. “I mean, skipping the Quantico trip does give us a little bit more time. Plus we’ve been doing a pretty damn good job, might be a nice to give ourselves a little reward.”

He watched Theo’s tired eyes light up even more.

“Yeah.” Theo said, smirking and leaning just a fraction of an inch closer across the pillow. “We could be real fancy and, you know, eat something that requires utensils and a table and all that.”

“Exactly.” Scott smiled back at him and then closed his eyes with a sigh. “And I have to do some laundry, anyway.”

* * *

Warmth seeped through Theo’s chest as at the fact that Scott considered a sit down meal with him to be a reward.

He watched Scott’s eyes close with exhaustion. His dark lashes falling over the heavy lines under his eyes, his overworked muscles relaxing into the comfort of the bed. He felt himself aching to move closer, but knew that it wouldn’t be appropriate. So instead he moved as close to the dividing pillow as possible and let his arm over the top of it. He tilted his head forward till he could feel Scott’s warm breath rolling gently over his face and then closed his eyes.

This had to be enough. He really didn’t have any right to ask for more.

Sleep came easily, for once. The feeling of Scott’s breath on him, the softness of the pillow beneath his head, and the steady rhythm of the alpha’s heart lulled him into a deep and slumber. One that was devoid of both the Dread Doctors and the phantoms of all the people he’d wronged. All he felt when sleeping next to Scott was safe.

When he woke, it was to the warm feeling of sunlight on his face and the patter of shower water hitting the tiled floor in the adjacent room. 

He groaned and rolled over onto Scott’s empty side of the bed, rubbing his face into the pillow that was still warm with Scott’s scent. It was hard not to wish that the feeling could last just a bit longer. The night felt too short, and he didn’t expect that he would ever get to sleep that close to Scott again.

Not unless the front desk attendants at the next hotel also thought they were a couple…

_ Huh. _

Theo was stretching his back out, pressing his face deeper into the pillow when the ill-advised idea struck him.

It wouldn't be... _ that  _ hard to make happen again, would it?

He knew he shouldn’t be thinking like that. Thinking about ways to manipulate a situation behind Scott’s back to get what he wanted. That would be a dangerous regression for him. That type of dishonesty was something that he really shouldn’t let himself fall into.

It wouldn’t be healthy, and he knew it.

But the thought was  _ so _ tempting.

Would it really be  _ that _ bad if he made a  _ little _ extra effort to make it look like Scott was his boyfriend at the next place?

**Author's Note:**

> There will be _at least_ one more chapter but possibly more depending on how it goes.
> 
> I love constructive comments and/or feedback, so please feel free to share your thoughts! ^_^


End file.
